Sleeping through the night??

[gingerred]

Winston has now had 2 separate nights where he appears to have not woken up. His food was untouched (both dry and chicken/meal worm), no poop on his wheel or in his litterbox, etc. Both days after, when I checked him, he seemed normal (grumpy at being woken) and was warm. He recently lost about 20grams in 3 weeks as well.

He went to the vet last week and she says everything is normal - she gassed him. She said that often in the spring, their testosterone levels go up, increasing their metabolism which can result in some weight loss. She wasn't concerned at all.

Does anyone have any suggestions?? He's 4.5 years old, and this is new for him. Thanks!!

 

[smhufflepuff]

I agree, that doesn't sound good.

My first thought (which would be the "easiest" problem/solution) is that the possibility exists that the temp dips a bit too low at night. So, maybe he's fine by morning, but the night was too chilly for him. They do seem to need the temp bumped up a bit more as they get older. So... maybe that's all that's going on. I really hope it is.

Else, what you're probably looking at is some sort of illness/health issue that's affecting him, but not showing up in a way that's apparent to you nor his vet yet. There are so many possibilities - a URI, a UTI, tooth problems, etc... I'd keep a good watch on his food/water intake and output and his weight. I'd also look to supplement what he's eating since he's been losing weight - try a wet cat food or babyfood. If he's continuing to lose, you might try one of the high calorie foods from the vet - like critical care or Hills A& D. Also check for dehydration - it's amazing what that can cause.

Keep us posted on how he's doing.

 

[gingerred]

The temperature in the house stays constant, and it's been warmer than usual with summer approaching, so I'm sure he's warm enough. He also has a blanket in his pigloo. He's always under it in the winter, but on top in the summer, and he's been sleeping on top lately, so I'm sure he's not cold.

I've got some Hills AD, so maybe I'll put some out for him. I'll keep an eye on him and hopefully everything goes well. I do want to switch his food as he hasn't seemed too happy with one of the kibbles he's on.

 

[gingerred]

Winston had another not getting up night last night, but I think he tried to hibernate this morning. We've had a couple of days of rain/overcast so the furnace started kicking in. I noticed it wasn't sounding good, and I think we need it repaired, but my husband fixed it temporarily. I put the space heater in Winston's room, just in case and he furnace did go out again last night. But the space heater went out too at some point (it's pretty new too). I think the house was down to about 20/21.

I found Winston in a ball of quills, pretty sluggish and cold on his belly. I got him warmed up with me, his fleece blanket and an instant heat pack for mitts/skiing. He didn't feel as warm as normal, but he was up and trying to explore after about 30 min, so I put him back in his pigloo with another heating pad under it (microwave one). He felt like normal about an hour later. My hubby ran out for a new space heater so his room is now at about 24. I'll go back and read up on it, but anything else I should keep in mind to keep him happy?? The space heater will stay in his room for several weeks at least. It shuts off automatically when the room is at the right temperature. He's about 4 1/2 years old, so he's getting up there

 

[smhufflepuff]

Ensuring that he's at the right temp will be very important. And, at his age, he may need it a degree or so warmer than when he was younger. Also, the hibernation attempt with cool belly puts him at a high risk of attempting again -- which is another reason to bump the temp a bit. I'd also make sure he's getting enough light - if he doesn't already have a lamp on a timer that gives him somewhere 12-14h of light a day, I'd suggest trying it. A super consistent schedule will help some.

 

[gingerred]

I've bumped his temp up a couple of degrees with the heater. I can hear the furnace turning on and off again, so it's still broken, but it's been much nicer out now. He's also got a light on a timer for the winter (it's actually still there, just in case), but it's daylight from about 5:30am - 10:00pm now, so he's getting plenty of light. Thanks for the advice though. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something important